Abstract
Objective: To compare the degree of presbyopia in ophthalmology patients before and after the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods: Near add power measurements and dry eye-related tests were performed on 349 ophthalmology patients aged 40-55 years from 2017 to 2022, and the presence of common subjective symptoms (fatigue, blurred vision, glare, dryness, discomfort, and pain) was interviewed. The subjects were first-visit patients with biocular phakic and best corrected visual acuity of 0.8 or better in both eyes, patients with glaucoma, and patients with ocular fundus diseases. Those that had undergone ophthalmic surgery within the last 30 days were excluded.
Results: From 2017-2019, near add power was strongly correlated with age (β = 0.777, p < 0.001), and the estimated age of onset of presbyopia was 36.5 years, which decreased to 25.5 years in 2020 and recovered to 32.5 years in 2021. Subjective symptoms continued to worsen in both 2020 and 2021. Tear film breakup time, a dry eye-related test, and corneal damage, remained unchanged after 2020.
Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic reduced the age of onset of presbyopia in 2020, indicating a decline in amplitude of accommodation, which recovered in 2021. Accommodation fatigue from increased near work (work that requires prolonged close-up viewing) due to increased telework and stress from changes in lifestyle and work environment are thought to be the main causes, however, we also consider the possibility that COVID-19 may accelerate aging.
